


He Got His 'Ass'ociates

by somuchanemoia



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy is there to cheer him up and talk him through it, Fluff, Graduation, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Steve Needs a Hug, Steve is struggling, Trying to figure shit out, also no offense to people who sell knives door to door for a living, and to get that ass off screen, because i am on the verge of panic because i graduate college with my associates in t minus a week, maybe someday i'll write the mail man smut to go with it, really this was just self indulgent therapy for me at 2am, shamelessly in love boys, shamelessly mildly horny! Billy, shamlessly proud! Billy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:41:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21703885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somuchanemoia/pseuds/somuchanemoia
Summary: “But what is it gonna do for me, Bills?” Steve peeked a look up at him, “What could I possibly do with that degree?”“Well, lots of things,” He pushed Steve back into the Counter and leaned away from him so he could see all of Steve’s face, “There's the knife selling, Scoops Ahoy like jobs you talked about. There's your dad’s company.” Billy hated the way Steve’s eyes darkened at the mention of that, “But there's also the opportunity for you to be, I dunno, a mail man.”Steve scrunched his eyes together, “A mail man...?”“Don’t give me that look,” Billy waggled his eyebrows, “Mail men can be sexy."Steve is ashamed of his degree that he just got. Billy offers him job suggestions.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Kudos: 88





	He Got His 'Ass'ociates

**Author's Note:**

> I'm getting my Associates in t minus a week and...I am anxious and ashamed as hell and this is what brought me off the ledge at least for tonight.

“You know,” Billy mumbled into Steve’s neck, squeezing his arms around his waist as he leaned into his back, “Today should be a happy day.”

“Why does it not feel that way then?” Steve stared down at the counter he was looking at, “Why are we even celebrating? It’s not like this is a big deal.” 

He squeaked a bit when Billy gave him a rough pinch in the side, “That’s stupid, Harrington. You graduated college today.” 

“With an associates degree.”

“That’s a degree.”

“In general studies.”

“And?”

“And that is literally saying I spent 20 grand on my education just to end up getting this stupid fucking degree that said I did the bare minimum in college that won’t get me a job.”

Billy sighed and leaned further into Steve’s back. They’d had this conversation many times and Billy kind of expected it to come up again today, but he didn’t think that it would come out like that. He’d heard Steve say that he didn’t get why Billy was making a deal out of it (because Billy was so fucking proud of him) and he’d argued with Steve about actually showing up to graduation (because like hell Billy was just gonna let him gat his piece of paper in the mail). He’d also heard the “this isn’t gonna do me any favors” speech before. 

But this was the first time Steve had sounded so...hopeless. Did he really think this wasn’t going to do anything for him? Billy hadn’t gone to college, but he was still smart enough to know that college meant something. Even minimal college was better than no college. And Steve had actually finished it. He’d sat through exams and read textbooks about countless subjects (some Billy knew Steve found monotonous and boring, but Billy had eaten up when he got his hands on them). Steve endured the 8:30 am chemistry class and a 10:30pm Philosophy class. 

Steve made it. Steve had went to college and that had to count for something.

“You won’t with an attitude like that...” He finally mumbled into Steve’s shoulder blades, his hands trailing up Steve’s chest and playing with his loosened tie.

“I spent 20 grand, Bills, just end up working at another Scoops or at another video rental or i’ll be selling knives door to door.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” He pressed a kiss into the back of Steve’s neck, “They make money don’t they?”

“Sure they do. There is nothing wrong with any of those jobs.” Steve leaned his head back onto Billy’s shoulder looking up at the ceiling, “Nothing wrong with any job.”

“Except for when it comes to you?”

“No. I’m not above any of them...it just seems like a waste.”

“And why’s that?”

Steve went quiet in his arms for a moment, and then he took a shuddery breath and said,“Because I spent all this money, all this time, I’ve cried I don’t know how many times and here I am still stuck at the bottom, gonna be yelled at by stupid soccer moms and old guys because we don’t have xyz in stock. College was supposed to be my way out.” Steve rolled his head to hide in Billy’s neck, “The only way out now is to work some dumbass job that I know I’ll hate or to go work for my dad and I think that would be worse than being yelled at by the soccer moms. Bills, I’m 23 and I’m supposed to have it figured out by now. Everything was supposed to be all better here.”

Billy pressed a kiss to Steve’s forehead, “I think its pretty great. I’m here in this big city with the prettiest boy I’ve ever laid eyes on. I get to come home everyday and see you all lazed out on the couch and get to go to the grocery store with you every week. And we get to go out and hold hands alot of the places. We’d never be able to do that in Hawkins. And I don’t mind my boss here either.”

Steve turned in Billy’s arms and turned his big hazel eyes on him, a shy smile on his face, “You, Billy Hargrove, are the best thing that has happened to me. Not just here, but ever.”

“Ditto, pretty boy.” Billy smiled back at him and reached up his hand to run a thumb across a stray freckle on Steve’s cheek, “It’s gonna be okay, Stevie. I know it will be.”

That smile in Steve’s eyes darkened again, “Maybe. This was never how I planned for this to go.”

“I don’t think anybody lives the plan that they thought up when they were a preteen, baby.”

“Of course not, but I thought that I’d at least be able to take care of myself, take care of my family...”

Billy snorted, “Guess you won’t be getting your 2.5 kids, a dog and a white picket fence scenario.”

“Don’t mind that dream being dashed. Not as long as you’re with me.” Steve hummed as he traced around Billy’s necklace, “That’s not what I meant though. I never thought that I’d be here, but I always figured that I’d be able to take care of my lover. Be able to provide and at least do something worthwhile.”

“And selling knives door to door isn’t worthwhile?”

Steve chuckled, “It’s sad, is what it is.”

“I dunno, Bambi,” Billy grinned at him, “You know how many psychos are out there looking for knives to come their way. If you knocked on my door to sell me knives, I’d by three sets of them.”

Steve groaned and leaned into Billy’s chest, “You’re not helping.” But Billy could feel Steve’s smile on his collar bone. 

“It’s not the end of the road, Stevie. No matter what you think. You make your life how you want it to be.”

“Can’t run off with you into the night to live a worry free life when you’ve got 20 grand in student loans to pay back.”

“No, but you have a degree now.” Billy couldn’t help but grin at the thought of it. He was gonna go out and buy a frame as soon as Steve was stable enough to be left alone so he could hang that piece of paper up on the wall. He wasn’t gonna let Steve hide it somewhere in the back of their closet, “You got a piece of paper that says you’re a smarty pants who made it through college and who can be trusted to endure. That says quite a bit.”

“If only they knew how many times I changed my major...”

“They won’t care. They just see that you did it and that's what you should be proud of, baby. You did it.”

“But what is it gonna do for me, Bills?” Steve peeked a look up at him, “What could I possibly do with that degree?”

“Well, lots of things,” He pushed Steve back into the Counter and leaned away from him so he could see all of Steve’s face, “There's the knife selling, Scoops Ahoy like jobs you talked about. There's your dad’s company.” Billy hated the way Steve’s eyes darkened at the mention of that, “But there's also the opportunity for you to be, I dunno, a mail man.”

Steve scrunched his eyes together, “A mail man...?”

“Don’t give me that look,” Billy waggled his eyebrows, “Mail men can be sexy. Your ass looks good in khaki shorts,” He let his hands squeeze Steve’s cheeks for emphasis, “and hiking boots and you’d come home all sweaty from walking blocks a day with mail. You can kinda figure out what the hell people are getting just by looking at the return address.”

Steve rolled his eyes, “Are you always thinking about how my ass will look?”

“Well, yeah,“ Billy scoffed, “Your ass is a very valuable asset of mine.”

“But seriously, a mail man?”

“You also get to listen to music all day. You work alone. Don’t gotta deal with annoying soccer moms hollering at you all day. Just gotta walk around and deliver the mail and then come home to me.”

Steve seemed to think about this for a moment, “That...wouldn’t be too bad.”

“It wouldn’t. And you’d have a higher chance with your degree. Make more money than I do right off the bat. Plus, benefits.”

“Those are good points.”

“And if you can’t get a job there, you could be a pharmacy tech.” Billy could suddenly see how good Steve would look in blue green scrubs and handing out legal drugs to people, “You’d be the god of all soccer moms who have sick kids at home. You’d be the holy savior of old people who need their pills.”

“I’d be the bane of existence for insurance companies.”

“I think they got bigger problems than a pretty boy living in Indianapolis. They got everyone else in the world to fight with.” Billy chuckled, “But also, if you end up loving that, they can help you get into pharm school. And you start off with benefits and good pay too.” 

“That wouldn’t be too bad either.”

“And your ass would look sexy in scrubs.”

Steve actually laughed this time, “You’re a pervert, you know that.”

“Indeed I am, but I’d be a pervert who would love to have his loving boyfriend come home from work in his sexy scrubs and come give me some medicine.” Billy gave a wolfish smile.

Seteve smacked his chest, “You’re awful. Thought you were King Billy. Hottest guy in Hawkins.”

“You love me, and hey, you’re the one who got his ‘Ass’ociates degree.”

“I do love you, you absolute corndog.”

“You could be a secretary, Stevie.” Billy suggested, leaning in to nose at Steve’s neck, “Could call into your work and tell you dirty things on the phone.”

“Don’t you ever do that when I’m at work.” Steve chuckled, his hands sliding over Billy’s chest, “Wouldn’t want to lose my job.”

“True.” Billy hummed, “Just have to have my naughty secretary come home for that part of the job.”, He kissed at Steve’s jaw, “You could do any of those things, baby, with what you go and easily make more than I do. Plus, if you decide on something you really wanna do, you could always go back to school too. No shame in that.”

Steve let out a shuddering breath, “Not shameful at all.”

“Now you’re getting it,” Billy sucked on Steve’s neck, “I’m so proud of you for a reason, Stevie.”

“It’s not the end of the line...”

Billy kissed at the forming hickey on Steve’s neck, his boyfriend letting out a soft gasp, “Not by a long shot.”

Steve pulled Billy closer, pushing their hips together, their clothed half hard cocks rubbing, “I graduated today.”

“That you did, Bambi.” Billy gave a wide smile, “You graduated, Stevie. So proud. Wanna celebrate.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?” 

Billy pulled away from Steve’s neck. Steve had a smile on his face and his eyes were lust blown. He reached over and swiped the graduation cap that was sitting on the counter from where Steve had yanked it off his head earlier, setting it on top of Steve’s hair. He leaned in for a kiss, the tassel knocking into his cheek, “Gonna worship the graduate.”

That night, Steve watched Billy hang up his degree over the mantle, right between pictures of the two of them over Christmas. His ass was still sore from where he sat, but he couldn’t deny how excited he was for the first time to look at the big black letters of his name across the page right over the words “proud to present an Associates of General Studies”. He couldn’t miss the way Billy was practically beaming as he worried about whether the frame was straight or not. He was just so cute that Steve couldn’t let him stand there and straighten it all on his own. 

He came up and wrapped his arms around Billy’s hips and looked at the gleaming frame that Billy had rushed out to get as soon as Steve was conscious enough to be okay with him leaving the bed long enough for him to go get one. 

“How’s it look, Bambi?”

“Looks great, baby.” Steve could feel Billy’s smile. His boyfriend truly was proud of him, “It looks nice there.”

“It does” Billy leaned back in his arms and nosed at Steve’s jaw, “Congratulations, graduate. You did it.”

Steve smiled and kissed his nose, “We did it.” 


End file.
